Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ensuring that new restrictions will not be applied to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) services that support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
The agreement follows a lawsuit filed last month by Brown and 20 other state attorneys general challenging DOJ’s new conditions that would have cut off certain legal services for survivors unable to prove their immigration status. As a result of the legal action, DOJ agreed to a binding resolution confirming that these restrictions will not apply to states’ VOCA Victim Assistance or VAWA funds.
The resolution allows survivors to continue accessing legal services, including representation for custody and visitation issues, child support, housing, and relocation assistance, regardless of immigration status.
Maryland law requires that VOCA Victim Assistance programs be funded at $60 million annually through state and federal sources. VAWA also supports rape crisis centers that provide emergency assistance to sexual assault victims.
The challenged “Legal Services Condition,” introduced by DOJ in October, would have required verification of immigration status before survivors could receive legal help and would have affected both new and existing grants. Attorneys general argued that such a condition would endanger survivors and disrupt critical services.
Following the agreement, Maryland and the other participating states are voluntarily dismissing their lawsuit without prejudice, retaining the option to refile if DOJ reinstates the restriction.
States joining Maryland in the stipulation include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
